Golf tee

ABSTRACT

A golf tee having a stem constructed of a rigid plastic material having a first end terminating in a tip adapted to penetrate the earth and a second end which supports a golf ball supporting member having a plurality of upwardly directed extensions arranged to support a golf ball. The golf ball support member may be constructed of a flexible plastic material which is over molded on the stem at the end thereof opposite the earth penetrating tip. The golf ball supporting member may be constructed of a plurality of upwardly extending fingers or a plurality of tooth shaped outwardly flared members.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a golf apparatus and equipment used inplaying the game of golf on a golf course or practicing golf on or offthe golf course and more specifically is directed to a new and improvedgolf tee which is extremely stable when inserted into the ground andallows a golf ball to be driven off the tee with a minimum ofinterference between the golf tee and the golf ball.

2. Description of Prior Art

Golf tees have been available in numerous designs shapes and sizes andhave been used in playing the game of golf for a substantial period oftime. Golf tees are permitted under the rules of play for golf by theUnited States Golf Association and the Royal and Ancient GolfAssociation. The purpose of using the tee in playing the game of golf isto raise and support the golf ball off the ground when driving orotherwise hitting the golf ball from the teeing area on a golf course oron a practice range. It is believed that the utilization of a tee fromthe teeing area on a golf course was allowed by those who make the rulesgoverning play because the grass appearing in and around a teeing areaon a golf course is dissipated as a result of the continued use thereofby the players whereas the remainder of the golf course is initiallycovered with grass which provides a soft lie for the golf ball so thatit may be struck and the lie would not usually impart undesirablecharacteristics to the flight of the golf ball.

The flight of the golf ball is dependent on certain factors such as theheight in which the ball is teed off the ground, back spin imparted tothe ball, wind conditions and dimple construction on the ball itself Ithas now been recognized that the interaction between the golf ball andthe tee which supports the golf ball can impart undesirablecharacteristics to the flight of the ball. For example, most tees haveconventionally been made of solid wood with a circular shaped cup topsupported by a stem that is inserted into the earth. It is verydifficult to always tee the golf ball at exactly the same height fromthe surface of the earth for a particular club that is being utilized.This has become even more difficult as the length of tees has increasedbecause of the larger size of the golf club heads, particularly fordrivers. In addition, the concavity of the standard tee allows for asubstantial amount of surface contact between the tee and the ball. Thefriction between the ball and the concave surface will prematurelyimpart a spin to the ball and it is usually an undesirable spin. Thisspin may be accelerated by natural wind conditions in existence at thetime of play. It is well known that the golf ball flight can bedetermined in part by the initial spin which is imparted to the ball atthe time of contact. It is therefore desirable for the ball to havelimited contact with the tee to mitigate the undesirable spinconditions. In addition, as the golf club head approaches the impactarea it generates a great deal of wind which may cause initialundesirable movement of the golf ball before impact. Various golf teeshave been developed in an attempt to overcome this undesirable featureof the golf tee. Examples, of such tees are those which utilize aplurality of bristles extending from the head of the golf tee upon whichthe golf ball rests. In other instances, there is provided a golf teehaving a central stem with three fan shaped flutes extending verticallyupwards ending in a point shaped vertice for holding the golf ball. Anadditional embodiment of prior art golf tees includes a tapered spikemade of rigid plastic material with a head. A rotatable collar issecured to the head and supports a plurality of finger like elementsconstructed from a semi-rigid plastic material. The collar can rotate onthe head and is designed to support the golf ball. These prior tees aresubject to wear and they either break when struck by the golf club orafter extended use the bristles become so flexible that they can nolonger adequately support the golf ball or it is not possible to causethe golf ball to be teed at exactly the same height each time aparticular club is utilized.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

An improved golf tee having a stem constructed of rigid plastic materialterminating in a pointed tip adapted to penetrate the earth and having asecond end terminating in a head shaped member. A golf ball supportingmember of a flexible plastic material is permanently secured to the headshape member of the stem and the golf ball supporting member includes aplurality of upwardly directed extensions constructed of flexibleplastic material arranged to support the golf ball.

In accordance with a more specific aspect of the present invention, thegolf ball supporting member is over molded and permanently secured tothe head shaped member of the stem.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, theupwardly directed extensions of the golf ball support member includethree tooth shaped extensions flared outwardly from the stem each ofwhich terminates in a tip which is utilized to support the golf ball.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, theupwardly directed extensions of the golf ball supporting member includea plurality of spaced apart fingers disposed peripherally about the headshaped end on the stem.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 a, 1 b, and 1 c illustrate one embodiment of a golf teeconstructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of an elongated central support stemwhich is a component of the tee as illustrated in FIGS. 1 a, 1 b and 1c;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of a golf tee of the present inventiontaken about the lines 3-3 of FIG. 1 a;

FIGS. 4 a, 4 b and 4 c illustrate an alternative embodiment of a golftee constructed in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the golf tee taken about the lines5-5 of FIG. 4 b; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of a golf tee shownin FIG. 4 a taken about the lines 6-6 thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The golf tee of the present invention is constructed of molded plasticmaterial and provides a plurality of points of contact at the distalends of upwardly directed flutes or fingers which are spaced apart sothat they support a golf ball. The spaced apart feature of theseupwardly extending members provides an open space beneath the golf ballwhich insures that the gust of air created by the approaching club facewill not prematurely set the ball in motion. In addition, by utilizingthe points of contact at the distal ends of the upwardly extendingmembers minimal contact is provided between the ball and the tee, thuseliminating the undesirable spin which may otherwise be imparted to thegolf ball by the contact of the ball with the head of the tee. The teeof the present invention may have a plurality of heights which allow theutilization of the tee with various golf clubs including the largeheaded drivers that are currently in existence and favored by manygolfers.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 1-3, there is illustrated oneembodiment of a golf tee constructed in accordance with the principlesof the present invention. As is therein illustrated the golf tee 10includes a stem member 12 constructed preferably of a rigid plasticmaterial having a tapered point 14 which enables the stem to be insertedinto the earth by the user. The upper end of the stem includes a headshaped member 16 which may be formed as a radially outwardly extendingflange 18 (FIG. 2) having a peripheral edge 20 and a flat top 22. Thestem 12 may be formed with a plurality of ribs 24, 26 and 28 protrudingtherefrom. Such ribs add additional strength to the stem and also assistin easier penetration of the stem into the earth by the user. Extendingupwardly from the head 16 is a ball support member 30 which ispermanently secured to the head 16. In this embodiment of the golf teeof the present invention, the ball support member 30 includes aplurality of upwardly directed extensions terminating at their distalends and spaced apart tips 32-42 (FIG. 3) upon which the golf ball restsand is supported. It will be understood by those skilled in the art thatby having the golf ball supported only by the tips of the distal ends ofthe upwardly extending extensions, which in this embodiment appear as aplurality of fingers, there is little interference, if any, by the teewith the spin or other rotation of the golf ball when it is struck bythe golf club.

As is illustrated in FIGS. 1 a, 1 b and 1 c, the upwardly directedextensions or fingers forming the ball supporting member 44, 46 and 48may vary in length and provide a tee for use with various clubs. Forexample, the longer fingers 44 would be used with the large headeddrivers having 460 cc volume which are popular among golfers at thepresent time. The shorter fingers as shown at 46 in FIG. 1 b would usedwith a smaller headed driver or to keep the ball lower in the event ofdriving into the wind or the like. In addition, even shorter fingerssuch as shown at 48 in FIG. 1 c would be used to support the ball forbeing struck by a fairway wood such as a three wood, 5 wood or the likeor possibly even a low lofted iron or hybrid club.

As is shown more clearly in FIGS. 2 and 3 in accordance with thepreferred form of this embodiment of the golf tee constructed inaccordance with the present invention the stem and the ball supportingmember are two separate elements of the tee which are bonded together toform an integrated or unitary golf tee. The stem as shown in FIG. 2 isconstructed of a rigid plastic material and preferably is constructed ofa polycarbonate plastic. The ball supporting member 30 is constructedfrom a flexible plastic material which is over molded and bonded to thehead 16 of the stem 12.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the tee of the presentinvention the ball support member 30 is constructed from polyurethaneplastic material. Depending upon the height of the upwardly directedextensions or fingers of the ball support member the hardness rangesbetween 60 and 90 durometers as measured on the Shore scale A. Theshorter fingers 48 as shown in FIG. 1 c for example would be 60durometers in hardness while the longer fingers 44 as shown in FIG. 1 awould be 90 durometers in hardness. The longer fingers are harder inorder to provide better support for the golf ball while being able toposition it a distance from the ground greater than that allowed by theshorter fingers.

In accomplishing the over molding the ball support member 30 isconstructed preferably by injection molding which allows thepolyurethane plastic material to extend downwardly and wrap around theoutwardly extending radial flange 18 as is illustrated at 50 in FIG. 3.As is clearly shown, the plastic material forming the ball supportmember 30 extends across the upper flat surface 22 of the stem 12 asillustrated at 52 and around the peripheral edge 20 of the flange 18.The fingers extend upwardly and are formed unitarily with the remainderof the ball support member 30. By way of chemical interaction andreaction the polyurethane material which forms the flexible ball supportmember 30 bonds to the polycarbonate material of the stem member 12. Ifdesired, a mechanical interlock can be created by providing ridgesand/or grooves in the flange 18 into which the polyurethane plasticmaterial would flow. It has however been found that such is notnecessary as a result of the chemical bonding which occurs between thepolycarbonate and the polyurethane plastic materials during the overmolding process. The number of fingers may vary as desired so long asthe fingers will support the golf ball without undue deformation. It hasbeen found that utilizing a polyurethane plastic material having a 90durometer hardness for the longer fingers 44 as shown in FIG. 1 a thatit is preferable to have 10 fingers equiangularly spaced about theperiphery 20 of the outwardly directed flange 18. It should be notedparticularly as illustrated in FIG. 3 that the fingers are wider at thebase 52 of the over molded material than at the distal ends 32-42. Thisupwardly tapering construction of the fingers assists in ejecting thefinished over molded golf tee from the mold at the completion of themolding process.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 4-6, there is illustrated analternative embodiment of the golf tee constructed in accordance withthe present invention. As is therein illustrated the golf tee 60includes a stem 62 which is constructed of a rigid plastic material andwhich terminates in a pointed tip 64 which enables the stem to beinserted into the earth by a golfer during use. The upper portion 66 ofthe stem 62 terminates in a head shaped member 68 extending upwardly.Surrounding the head shape member 68 is a golf ball supporting member 70which may be constructed of a flexible plastic material which is overmolded and surrounds and is bonded to the head 68 of the stem 62 as withthe embodiment of the tee shown in FIGS. 1-3. The stem 62 is preferablyconstructed of a rigid plastic material such as polycarbonate while theball support member 70 is preferably constructed from a flexible plasticmaterial such as polyurethane having a hardness of 60 durometer. Theover molding of the polyurethane over the head 68 results in a bondingof the ball support member to the stem 62.

The ball support member 70 includes upwardly directed extensions whichin the presently preferred embodiment include three tooth shaped members72, 74 and 76 which terminate at their distal ends 78, 80 and 82 inpoints or tips. As shown, the distal ends 78, 80 and 82 are flaredoutwardly from the longitude axis of the stem 62 in such a manner thatthe golf ball is supported only at the tips of the distal ends 78, 80and 82 of the tooth shaped members. This provides minimal contactbetween the golf ball and the tee thus providing minimal disturbance ofthe flight of the golf ball from the tee. It is also noted that byflaring the tooth shaped members 72, 74 and 76 radially outwardly fromthe longitude axis of the stem 62 space is provided underneath the golfball and the between the upwardly directed extensions to provide for themovement of air as generated by the movement of the driver head towardthe golf ball so that this additional air does not interfere with thegolf ball by moving it prior to being struck by the driver head.

As shown in FIGS. 4 a, 4 b and 4 c the stem 62 may have varying lengthsfor use with different clubs. As an example, the longer length as shownin FIG. 4 a would be for use with the large headed drivers having 460 ccin volume which are preferred and most popular by golfers at the presenttime. The shorter stem as shown in FIG. 4 b would be useful with driversof a smaller size while the shorter tee as shown in FIG. 4 c would beused for fairway woods or hybrids or possibly even low lofted irons asmay be desired by the golfer.

As shown more particularly in FIG. 4 a, the stem may have a protrusion84 positioned intermediate the tip 64 and the top 66. This protrusion 84may be positioned at any point along the stem which will provide anindication to the golfer as to how much of the stem should be insertedinto the earth to provide the desired positioning of the ball above thesurface of the earth. As illustrated more particularly in FIG. 6 theprotrusion 84 may be recessed as shown at 86 to provide a gripping areafor the thumb or other finger of a user to assist in inserting the stem62 into the earth.

It should also be noted that the outer surface 88 of the tooth shapedextensions 78, 80 and 82 for the ball support member have an outersurface which is contiguous with the outer surface 90 of the stem 62.

Although the presently preferred embodiment of the golf tee as shown inFIG. 4-6 includes the ball support member being over molded on the head68 of the stem 62 it should be understood that the golf tee having theoutwardly flared tooth shaped member 78, 80 and 82 may be constructed ofa unitary, rigid, molded plastic material without departing from thescope of the present invention.

There has thus been disclosed a golf tee which is constructed of amolded plastic material and which includes a stem constructed of rigidplastic material which is adapted at one end to penetrate the earth andat a second end having a plurality of upwardly directed extensionsarranged to support a golf ball at the distal ends thereof. The upwardlydirected extensions may be a plurality of fingers or a plurality oftooth shaped members each spaced apart so that a golf ball is supportedby the distal ends of the fingers or tooth shaped members and whereinspace is provided between the fingers or tooth shaped members to therebymitigate any disturbance of the ball prior to it being struck by thegolf club.

1. A golf tee comprising: (A) a stem constructed of a rigid plasticmaterial and having a first end terminating in a tip adapted topenetrate the earth and a second end terminating in a head shapedmember; (B) a golf ball supporting member constructed of a flexibleplastic material permanently affixed to said head shaped member of saidsecond end; and (C) said golf ball supporting member having a pluralityof upwardly directed extensions arranged to support a golf ball;
 2. Agolf tee as defined in claim 1 wherein said upwardly directed extensionsinclude three tooth shaped extensions flared outwardly from said stem.3. A golf tee as defined in claim 2 wherein said golf ball supportingmember is over molded on said stem.
 4. A golf tee as defined in claim 1wherein said upwardly directed extensions include a plurality of fingersdisposed peripherally about said head shaped member.
 5. A golf tee asdefined in claim 4 wherein said head shaped member comprises a radiallyoutwardly extending flange having a peripheral edge.
 6. A golf tee asdefined in claim 4 wherein said golf ball supporting member is overmolded on said head shaped member.
 7. A golf tee as defined in claim 2wherein said golf ball supporting member surrounds and is bonded to saidhead shaped member.
 8. A golf tee as defined in claim 5 wherein saidgolf ball supporting member surrounds said head shaped member and isover molded thereon.
 9. A golf tee as defined in claim 3 wherein saidtooth shaped extensions have an outer surface contiguous with an outersurface of said stem.
 10. A golf tee as defined in claim 9 wherein saidtooth shaped extensions each have a distal end, said distal ends beingspaced apart by an amount such that golf ball is supported only by saiddistal ends.
 11. A golf tee comprising: a stem having a first endterminating in a point for insertion into the earth; said stem having asecond end terminating in a plurality of upwardly extending discretetooth shaped extensions each having a base permanently attached to saidstem and a distal end flared outwardly from said stem and arranged tosupport a golf ball.
 12. A golf tee as defined in claim 11 furthercomprising a protrusion from said stem disposed between said first andsecond ends for indicating the extent said tee should be inserted intothe earth.
 13. A golf tee as defined in claim 12 wherein said protrusionis recessed to provide a gripping area for a finger of a user to insertsaid tee into the earth.
 14. A golf tee as defined in claim 13 whereinsaid discrete tooth shaped members are three in number and said distalends are spaced apart by an amount such that a golf ball is supportedonly by said distal ends.
 15. A golf tee comprising: a stem formed froma molded rigid plastic having a point at one end and having a radiallyoutwardly extending head having a peripheral edge at the other end; agolf ball supporting member including a plurality of discrete fingersdisposed equiangularly about said periphery of said head and extendingupwardly and terminating at distal ends upon which a golf ball issupported.
 16. A golf tee as defined in claim 15 wherein said ballsupport member is over molded on and bonded to said head.
 17. A golf teeas defined in claim 16 wherein said stem is formed from polycarbonateplastic and said ball support member if formed from polyurethane plastichaving a hardness of between 60 and 90 durometer as measured on theShore scale A.